What does it mean when your poop floats or sinks? What are the causes? Is it something I should be worried about? Answers to these and more inside.

An intriguing question, but not one you would bring up at the dinner table.

However, its a question that’s playing on the minds of many people.

I’ve discovered a lot of conflicting advice about how our poops float or sink and whether its good or bad for our health.

Why You’re Poop Floats

One of the most common and conflicting advice is that a stool floats because it contains too much fat.

However, the real reason it floats is because it contains more air due to excessive gas.

A floater could happen for number of reasons but here are three of the most common;

Poor digestion

Gastrointestinal infections

Change of diet

First of all poorly digested food means the body has to work harder at breaking it down for absorption and elimination. The extra energy needed to do this creates more gas and therefore, more gas filled stools.

Secondly, gastrointestinal infections causes the digestive system to flush out harmful bacteria and viruses. This flushing out results in food moving through the colon too quickly creating excessive gas and diarrhea.

The third reason for a floater is a change in diet. For example, eating more vegetables like broccoli, leeks and cabbage is going to create more gas because insoluble fiber is tougher for our body’s to break down.